this.”
He moved her hand up, guiding it around and above her head, then back, and opened her palm to the sky. There were no words for the delicious surge of release that flooded her. How was it possible that already she was feeling more flexible and comfortable? She floated in the lush feeling as he moved her arm in the opposite direction, back to the starting position.
And then, too soon, he pulled his hands away. She could’ve sworn she saw lines of energy trailing from his hands to hers.
She really had to get more sleep.
“Try it without my help.” He stepped away, watching.
She gripped the handles and brought the rope taut, parallel with the branch, as he’d shown her. Then she twisted her arm up toward the sky and pivoted her hips. Exhilaration rushed through her and with it a wave of pleasure that sent more goose bumps prickling along her arms.
But that wasn’t all.
“Something shifted,” she said breathlessly as she tried to express the awe flooding her. “Something inside me.” But the dizziness that followed the rush had her wavering on her feet.
He placed a palm on her lower back and stilled her. “Breathe. Just breathe.”
His words steadied her as much as his hand did. But her pulse picked up its pace as he moved his arm to circle her waist. She slowed her movements and found her balance.
He took the handles from her.
“Good.”
She turned to him. “Thank you,” she said, trying again to ignore the energy throbbing in her. “I don’t know why I have such a hard time doing such a simple thing.”
“This is no simple thing, Sabrina.”
His gaze met hers and held, probing deeply into places she’d never offered permission to be explored. And she saw into him too. Mystery and power lived in Kaz Tokugawa. But something else lived there as well, something raw, something she couldn’t name, something painful, haunting, controlling. And then, as quickly as the impression had appeared, it flicked off, as if he knew she’d seen it, as if he could control such things.
“We’ll try this again tomorrow.” He began to untie the ropes from the tree. “That’s enough for today.”
Jolted, she dragged her attention back to the task at hand. “But I only did one movement.” She was accustomed to repeating, practicing, getting it right. Alex’s training practices had rubbed off on her. “I’d like to try again.”
“You are so like your brother,” he said. There was no judgment in his voice. “I suspected as much. You will be a good student. But force is not the answer. You need to ease into these movements.”
“I’m not your student,” she said, flustered.
His eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t read. “We’re all students, Sabrina. The wisdom wants to enter, but we get in our own way.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
He pulled the ropes free of the branch and then bent to retrieve the sling she’d forgotten she’d been wearing. He held it out. Relief swept her when she saw that he wasn’t going to help her don it. If he touched her one more time, she just might scream with the tension of it all.
She snugged the sling into place.
“Lead the way,” he said, gesturing to the path.
She felt his eyes on her all the way back to the drawbridge. Finally she could stand it no longer. For pity’s sake, she’d walked a few hundred yards to a tree, moved her arms a couple of times, and yet she was exhausted . But at least she could have him go up the steps to the drawbridge first. She wasn’t sure she could bear having him behind her again.
“After you,” she said with a mock bow.
A smile played into his face. It wasn’t taunting, but it told her that he knew the effect he had on her.
She suddenly wasn’t sure she wanted more lessons.
Chapter Six
After dinner, Kaz joined Alex in the game room. A staccato clatter shot out as Alex expertly broke and scattered the balls across the billiard table.
“How’d it go with Sabrina today?”
Kaz liked
He moved her hand up, guiding it around and above her head, then back, and opened her palm to the sky. There were no words for the delicious surge of release that flooded her. How was it possible that already she was feeling more flexible and comfortable? She floated in the lush feeling as he moved her arm in the opposite direction, back to the starting position.
And then, too soon, he pulled his hands away. She could’ve sworn she saw lines of energy trailing from his hands to hers.
She really had to get more sleep.
“Try it without my help.” He stepped away, watching.
She gripped the handles and brought the rope taut, parallel with the branch, as he’d shown her. Then she twisted her arm up toward the sky and pivoted her hips. Exhilaration rushed through her and with it a wave of pleasure that sent more goose bumps prickling along her arms.
But that wasn’t all.
“Something shifted,” she said breathlessly as she tried to express the awe flooding her. “Something inside me.” But the dizziness that followed the rush had her wavering on her feet.
He placed a palm on her lower back and stilled her. “Breathe. Just breathe.”
His words steadied her as much as his hand did. But her pulse picked up its pace as he moved his arm to circle her waist. She slowed her movements and found her balance.
He took the handles from her.
“Good.”
She turned to him. “Thank you,” she said, trying again to ignore the energy throbbing in her. “I don’t know why I have such a hard time doing such a simple thing.”
“This is no simple thing, Sabrina.”
His gaze met hers and held, probing deeply into places she’d never offered permission to be explored. And she saw into him too. Mystery and power lived in Kaz Tokugawa. But something else lived there as well, something raw, something she couldn’t name, something painful, haunting, controlling. And then, as quickly as the impression had appeared, it flicked off, as if he knew she’d seen it, as if he could control such things.
“We’ll try this again tomorrow.” He began to untie the ropes from the tree. “That’s enough for today.”
Jolted, she dragged her attention back to the task at hand. “But I only did one movement.” She was accustomed to repeating, practicing, getting it right. Alex’s training practices had rubbed off on her. “I’d like to try again.”
“You are so like your brother,” he said. There was no judgment in his voice. “I suspected as much. You will be a good student. But force is not the answer. You need to ease into these movements.”
“I’m not your student,” she said, flustered.
His eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t read. “We’re all students, Sabrina. The wisdom wants to enter, but we get in our own way.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
He pulled the ropes free of the branch and then bent to retrieve the sling she’d forgotten she’d been wearing. He held it out. Relief swept her when she saw that he wasn’t going to help her don it. If he touched her one more time, she just might scream with the tension of it all.
She snugged the sling into place.
“Lead the way,” he said, gesturing to the path.
She felt his eyes on her all the way back to the drawbridge. Finally she could stand it no longer. For pity’s sake, she’d walked a few hundred yards to a tree, moved her arms a couple of times, and yet she was exhausted . But at least she could have him go up the steps to the drawbridge first. She wasn’t sure she could bear having him behind her again.
“After you,” she said with a mock bow.
A smile played into his face. It wasn’t taunting, but it told her that he knew the effect he had on her.
She suddenly wasn’t sure she wanted more lessons.
Chapter Six
After dinner, Kaz joined Alex in the game room. A staccato clatter shot out as Alex expertly broke and scattered the balls across the billiard table.
“How’d it go with Sabrina today?”
Kaz liked
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